Bartoli quits with injury in grass exhibition

June 19, 2014

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — It was quite a comedown for a reigning Wimbledon champion.

In her first match on English grass since winning Wimbledon last year, Marion Bartoli was losing to a 15-year-old junior in an exhibition in Liverpool on Thursday when she quit with a right shoulder problem.

The 29-year-old Bartoli retired from professional tennis a month after her Wimbledon triumph. The Frenchwoman looked nowhere near playing shape at the Liverpool Hope University International Tennis exhibition.

Bartoli was trailing 15-year-old Jodie Burrage 7-5, 3-2 when she called it quits.

Before the match, Bartoli said “if she beats me that’s fine. It’s not like I need to win any more.”

Burrage says winning against Bartoli is “unreal.”

Bartoli will be doing commentary for BBC at Wimbledon, which opens Monday.